Organisation profile

Sustainability has many facets. Inter- and transdisciplinary research and teaching characterize the School of Sustainability. Scientists in our research projects work together in the laboratory, on the heath, in the grassland, in the classroom, with the city administration, with farmers, with non-governmental organizations, with companies, with students in the lecture hall and of course at their desks.

Furthermore, we work with regional and national political actors, e.g. ministries, as well as international organizations, e.g. UNEP, UNESCO, EU. We are part of national and international bodies, e.g. sustainability advisory boards of companies, member of the German Sustainability Award, World Biodiversity Council (IPBES), in order to contribute to social change with scientific findings.

Main research areas

Vision
Sustainability science investigates on a theoretical, conceptual and empirical level how to promote sustainable development and how to find and implement effective solutions for current social and ecological challenges. The aim is to create a more sustainable future.

Sustainability researchers are called upon to take responsibility for their research, which is anchored in existing scientific knowledge and methods and serves to make the world a better place for everyone.

Mission
We promote change towards a sustainable future by developing theories, concepts and practices of inclusive education for sustainability, research, governance and management.

We acknowledge the diversity and dynamics of values, norms and behaviour and contribute with transdisciplinary methods to ensuring that tensions and differences between different disciplines, methods, topics and standards are fruitfully taken up and used with productive compromises and further developments towards sustainable development.

Principles
The School of Sustainability is guided by the normative concepts of ecological system integrity and social and economic justice.

Ecological system integrity refers to the safeguarding of life-support systems, as well as the maintenance of the well-being of life on Earth.

With social and economic justice we strive for a world in which all people can fulfil their potential without endangering system integrity and the well-being of others.

Information about the School
The School of Sustainability includes...
... ca. 25 professors
... ca. 100 research assistants
... ca. 1000 students in Bachelor and Master courses

In various inter- and transdisciplinary projects we are constantly researching and working together on changes and solutions for current challenges.

  1. Published

    Journal of Cleaner Production. Special Volume: The Integration of Corporate Sustainability Assessment, Management Accounting, Control, and Reporting

    Maas, K. (Editor), Schaltegger, S. (Editor) & Crutzen, N. (Editor), 10.11.2016, Elsevier B.V. 249 p. (Journal of Cleaner Production; vol. 136 , no. Part A)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueResearch

  2. Published

    Advancing the Integration of Corporate Sustainability Measurement, Management, and Reporting

    Maas, K., Schaltegger, S. & Crutzen, N., 01.10.2016, In: Journal of Cleaner Production. 133, p. 859-862 4 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Nitrogen Addition Enhances Drought Sensitivity of Young Deciduous Tree Species

    Dziedek, C., Härdtle, W., von Oheimb, G. & Fichtner, A., 22.07.2016, In: Frontiers in Plant Science. 7, 7, 12 p., 1100.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Nachhaltiger Konsum als Bildungsherausforderung: Perspektiven für die Gestaltung von Schule und Unterricht

    Fischer, D., 08.2016, In: Politik unterrichten. 31, 1, p. 37-46 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesTransfer

  5. Published

    Cascade thermochemical storage with internal condensation heat recovery for better energy and exergy efficiencies

    N’Tsoukpoe, K. E., Osterland, T., Opel, O. & Ruck, W. K. L., 01.11.2016, In: Applied Energy. 181, p. 562-574 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    An applied methodology for stakeholder identification in transdisciplinary research

    Leventon, J., Fleskens, L., Claringbould, H., Schwilch, G. & Hessel, R., 01.09.2016, In: Sustainability Science. 11, 5, p. 763-775 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    On the way to greener ionic liquids: Identification of a fully mineralizable phenylalanine-based ionic liquid

    Haiß, A., Jordan, A., Westphal, J., Logunova, E., Gathergood, N. & Kümmerer, K., 2016, In: Green Chemistry . 18, 16, p. 4361-4373 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published
  9. Published

    IEA SHC Task 42 / ECES Annex 29 WG A1: Engineering and Processing of PCMs, TCMs and Sorption Materials

    Ristić, A., Furbo, S., Moser, C., Schranzhofer, H., Lazaro, A., Delgado, M., Peñalosa, C., Zalewski, L., Diarce, G., Alkan, C., Gunasekara, S. N., Haussmann, T., Gschwander, S., Rathgeber, C., Schmit, H., Barreneche, C., Cabeza, L., Ferrer, G., Konuklu, Y., Paksoy, H., Rammelberg, H., Munz, G., Herzog, T., Jänchen, J. & Barrio, E. P. D., 01.06.2016, In: Energy Procedia. 91, p. 207-217 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsConference article in journalResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Lab-scale experiment of a closed thermochemical heat storage system including honeycomb heat exchanger

    Fopah-Lele, A., Rohde, C., Neumann, K., Tietjen, T., Rönnebeck, T., N'Tsoukpoe, K. E., Osterland, T., Opel, O. & Ruck, W. K. L., 01.11.2016, In: Energy. 114, p. 225-238 14 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review